As China crushed India 5-1 in the opening game of the football season
India was even at 1-1 after the first half of even play, but inadequate preparation led to a rout.
Tuesday at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium, a worn-out Indian squad that had just arrived in Hangzhou the night before put up a valiant first half performance before hitting a wall against a razor-sharp Chinese team and losing 5-1. Although India’s opening loss was to be expected, the team’s head coach Igor Stimac is now concerned about their chances of making it to the pre-quarterfinals given their four-goal deficit.
Playing at home during these Asian Games, the Chinese U23 squad got off to a fast start. The worst conceivable preparation for this competition was used by Stimac’s team. The Indian team simply lacked the mental acuity necessary for elite football after missing all of their training sessions and having a lengthy layover in Singapore.
In the opening ten minutes, China’s No. 10 Tan Long, who frequently found himself in between the two central defenders of India, had two shots on goal. His second header was directly aimed at Indian goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh after his first one missed the post to the right.
However, India’s sense of relief only lasted for six minutes until they let their first goal of the game. Sandesh Jhingan ought to have cleared a corner that fell weakly into the area, but captain Gao Tianyi calmly slid a left-footed half-volley into the Indian goal.
Simply put, the Indians lacked the time to play themselves into a state of sharpness. Gurmeet had to commit a foul in the box to prevent a goal when Ayush Chhetri, one of the team’s two central midfielders, found himself with the ball outside the Indian box and attempted a poor back pass that missed Gurmeet. But he was there to avert the penalty that followed in the 22nd minute, preserving China’s 1-0 lead.
India required 25 minutes to get their bearings. They adapted to their lower size and limited midfield space by trying to pass their way out rather than easily give the ball away. The team’s finest play on the field resulted from this control, which persisted for the remainder of the half.
The difficulty going into this competition was getting results with an unbalanced team. Utilizing the talented wingers on the team would be one method of getting past that. Come on, Rahul KP.
Rahul, an Indian Arrows alumnus who plays for Kerala Blasters, was given plenty of room on the right side by right-back Abdul Rabeeh after receiving a direct pass down the wing. He accelerated, outran his defender in a one-on-one race, and blasted the ball through the Chinese goalkeeper’s near post and the goal. It was a goal that he set because he had neither options nor room for compromise. Rahul was rewarded for acting decisively and forcefully at the precise moment by scoring India’s first goal in the Asian Games in 13 years.
India battled a squad that had been far more prepared for this competition and had participated in numerous competitive games and camps for 45 fantastic minutes before ending on an equal footing.
From hell, in half
However, many people thought that this game would go into the second half. With plenty of room in front of him, Dai Weijun fired a mediocre attempt from outside the box in the 50th minute. Gurmeet had a chance to save the shot, which required two low bounces before stumbling into the Indian goal. India was still having problems.
Stimac was unable to make any notable substitutions, thus he was forced to watch as his players succumbed to cramps one by one. Amarjit Singh Kiyan, who was always running hard and confidently passing, all of a sudden appeared to be going through the motions. Midway through the second half, left-back Bryce Miranda, who had spent the first half running down the left wing, would hold his legs as cramps also struck him.
India’s lackluster preparation for this game eventually caught up with them. In the 71st and 74th minute, China scored their third and fourth goals. The third was a shot by Wang Haijian that Gurmeet blocked, but Tao Qianglong tucked in the rebound. After Jhingan gave the ball away three minutes later as a result of China’s front line’s aggressive pressing outside the Indian box—the majority of whom had been substituted in and were far more rested than the Indian legs on the field—the latter scored once more.
Fang Hao’s right-footed drive to the bottom of the far post in the 91st minute, when he was alone against Gurmeet in the Indian box, was the fifth blow.
India must now defeat Bangladesh and Myanmar in their following two games if they hope to advance to the pre-quarterfinals on their own due to a four-goal deficit. After Tuesday’s game, India would not want to rely on a third-place finish because goal differential would enter the picture.
